A Flame of Hope
by SunlitShadow
Summary: This is for The Warrior's Challenge Forum, for the challenge The Storm. Flameleap is an excellent hunter and is very fast, and even faster to brag about it. He disowns his brother, his only kin, for what he thinks is the better. But when a storm strikes, he realizes he was wrong, but is it too late?


**Alliances**

**Deerclan**

**Leader: **Rosestar-A creamy she-cat with dark ginger patches and green eyes.

**Deputy: **Thistleheart-Brown tom with long fur and a white belly. Amber eyes.

**Medicine Cat: **Foxtail-Gray tom with a long tail.** Apprentice-**Fawnpaw

**Warriors:**

Nettleclaw-Fierce white tom with long claws and yellow eyes.

Gingerstorm**-**Light ginger tom with amber eyes.** Apprentice-**Briarpaw

Ravenwing-Shiny black she-cat with green eyes.** Apprentice-**Eaglepaw

Snowstorm-White she-cat with gray dapples. **Apprentice-**Leafpaw

Snaketooth-White tom with a black back and top of head. Has yellow-green eyes.** Apprentice-**Sunpaw

Fernstep-Brown she-cat with green eyes.** Apprentice-**Goldpaw

Oakheart-Brown tom with darker tabby markings. Green eyes

Flameleap-Ginger tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Apprentices: **

Fawnpaw-Light brown she-cat with a white belly and amber eyes.

Briarpaw-Dark brown she-cat with hazel eyes.

Eaglepaw-Brown tom with a white chest and amber eyes.

Leafpaw-Golden tom with blue eyes.

Sunpaw-Ginger she-cat with blue eyes, a white forepaw, and a white chest.

Goldpaw-Golden tom with blue-gray eyes.

**Queens:**

Nightflame-Black she-cat with orange eyes. Expecting Gingerstorm's kits.

Pearsong-Longhaired tortoiseshell with yellow eyes. Mother to Flameleap's kits: Echokit (White with gray striped tail), Bluekit (Blue tom), and Poppykit (White with black spots)

**Elders:**

Sageclaw-Old brown tom.

Owlshine-Once pretty white she-cat with brown flecks and yellow eyes.

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**Wolfclan**

**Leader: **Nightstar-Black she-cat.

**Deputy: **Sparkwhisker-Gray, cream, and light brown she cat with orange eyes.

**Medicine Cat: **Brackenfrost-Gold and white tom. **Apprentice-**Pebblepaw. (Gray tom)

**Warriors:**

Amberwillow-Gold she-cat with gray eyes.

Sandhawk-Light brown tom. **Apprentice-**Redpaw (Red she-cat)

Silverstrike-Silver tom with amber eyes.

Streamtail-Silver-spotted she cat with green eyes. **Apprentice-**Featherpaw (Brown and cream she-cat)

**Queens: **

Briarfall-Brown and white with green eyes.

**Elders:**

Stonetooth-Gray tom.

Shadefur-Smokey black she-cat

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**Otterclan**

**Leader: **Mallowstar-Brown tom.

**Deputy: **Whiteriver-Albino tom.

**Medicine Cat: **Ebonymist-Black she-cat with white paws and blue eyes.

**Warriors:**

Spottedfang-Brown spotted tom.

Lizardstrike-Golden tabby tom with green eyes.

Breezeshine-Golden she-cat with amber eyes. **Apprentice-**Frostpaw (White tom)

**Queens:**

Specklenose-Black she-cat with white speckles.

**Elders:**

Flintpelt-Gray-black tom.

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**Eagleclan**

**Leader: **Hawkstar-Large brown she-cat.

**Deputy: **Shadowheart-Dark tabby tom.** Apprentice-**Swanpaw (White she-cat with black paws)

**Medicine Cat: **Blazewhisker-Ginger tom with black paws.

**Warriors:**

Heronflight-Lithe brown tom.

Appleheart-Creamy brown she-cat.

Windsong-Black she-cat with white paws. **Apprentice-**Blackpaw (Black tom)

**Queens:**

Leopardpelt-Spotted white she cat.

Lemonfur-Golden she-cat.

**Elders:**

Morningdapple-White and ginger dappled she-cat.

Maplewhisker-Ginger tom.

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"Pearsong, can we go play outside the nursery today?" The tiny white kit asked her mother.

"Please?" Begged a small blue tom while a third kit looked up with pleading green eyes. "Briarpaw and Sunpaw will watch us."

"All right, but stay in camp. Don't bother the warriors, and stay together," Their mother told them.

"Thank you, Pearsong!" The white kit mewed to the tortoiseshell queen as she scampered out of the stuffy den.

"Wait up Echokit!" Called the blue tom as he saw his sister's striped tail disappear from the entrance. He ran after her, as fast as his short legs could carry him, his other sister at his heels. Once they were outside, they stopped to look around.

"Where should we go first?" The tom squeaked.

"I remember hearing Sunpaw and Leafpaw talking about the stories the elders told once when they changed our bedding. Maybe if we ask nicely they'll tell us one," Echokit suggested, already bounding over to the tangle of brambles the Clan's two elders called home. The other kits followed suit.

When they reached the thorny den, they saw the elders, Sageclaw and Owlshine, sharing tongues. They remembered being told they were mates.

At the kits' approach, they sat up and smiled.

"Well, if it isn't the Clan's newest arrivals! Welcome to our den." Meowed Owlshine warmly.

"Hi. I'm Echokit!" the adventurous she-kit introduced herself.

"I'm Bluekit!" the larger tom said, puffing out his chest.

"And you must be Poppykit." Sageclaw meowed to the smallest kit, white with black spots.

She nodded shyly.

"Can you tell us a story?" Echokit asked politely.

"Sure. Anything you'd like to hear about?" the old brown tom asked.

"Something exciting, and full of adventure!" Bluekit mewed enthusiastically.

"A love story." Suggested Poppykit quietly.

"A sad story. Something tragic."

Four sets of eyes stared at Echokit, surprised. "What? It's what I wanted to hear." She defended herself indignantly.

"I know! You can tell them about the Great Storm. It would satisfy all three wishes." Owlshine told her mate. "It's about their father, after all."

"Oh, yes! Please! I want to hear about him!" Echokit nearly shouted.

"Well, let's see. It was some time ago. You see, your father, Flameleap, was a new warrior, and let me tell you, he was a cocky one. Most new warriors are full of themselves, but your father was worse than any I'd seen."

"What? There's no way Flameleap was like that. I don't believe it!" Bluekit huffed.

"It's true. He had no problems bragging about how fast he was, or how he was such a great hunter. It was, as he would so often point out, how he got his name. None of us thought he would be the cat to save the us all." Sageclaw continued.

"He saved the Clan?" asked Poppykit in awe, temporarily forgetting her shyness.

"Indeed he did. It was a long time ago one leaf-bare, but I remember it very clearly...

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-Flashback-

A bright orange tom stepped out of the apprentices den and padded over to the tree branch Rosestar used to summon the Clan. He was excited: it was his warrior ceremony. He had trained for many moons, learning how to hunt and fight, and now all the work was finally worth it.

"Cats of Deerclan, we are gathered today so I can perform one of my favorite duties. The Clan is in need of new warriors, and I think I can arrange for that. Gingerpaw, Flamepaw, step forward."

The two ginger toms walked to the base of the tree where their leader stood.

"I, Rosestar, leader of Deerclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Gingerpaw and Flamepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." They said in unison.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior names: Gingerpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Gingerstorm. Starclan honors your calmness and insight, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Deerclan."

She rested her muzzle on the newly named Gingerstorm's head, and he gave her shoulder the customary lick.

"Flamepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Flameleap. Starclan honors your speed and hunting abilities, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Deerclan."

She placed her muzzle on his head and he gave her shoulder a respectful lick.

Cheers of "Gingerstorm! Flameleap!" echoed around the camp.

"You will sit vigil tonight and watch over the camp. The meeting is over." She told her Clan.

As the cats departed, Gingerstorm padded up to his brother. "Warriors at last." He meowed affectionately, and licked Flameleap's ear.

Flameleap pushed him away. "Gingerstorm, I am a warrior now. I don't need you to follow me around, telling me everything I already knew."

"But we're brothers." Gingerstorm mewed, hurt and shocked.

"Look, just try to stay away from me, okay? I don't want you breathing down my neck." He didn't even care when his brother's eyes clouded with pain.

"Fine. If that's what you want." Said Gingerstorm, his voice emotionless. He walked away without another word.

Since his mother had been killed shortly after they were apprenticed, and their father, who was blamed for her murder, was exiled, the two had been closer than most littermates. But lately, Gingerstorm had been getting on his brother's last nerves, and Flameleap wanted nothing more to do with him.

When evening came, Flameleap positioned himself near a tree, trying to block out the chilly wind, and prepared to spend the night in silence. He felt himself shiver against the cold. _It's going to be a long night_, he thought.

He felt himself drifting into sleep several times, and each time he jerked himself awake. He was relieved when he saw the first light of dawn peeking out from behind the clouds, and he hoped it wouldn't be long until Thistleheart told them to go to their nests.

The night had been uneventful, and Flameleap was tired. He was looking forward to his new nest in the warriors den.

He heard pawsteps and looked to up see Thistleheart approaching. He sent the brothers to the warrior's den, telling them to get some sleep. Flameleap nodded his thanks, to tired to speak.

Flameleap walked to the fallen tree on stiff legs. The night had been frigid, and he hadn't moved much for its entirety.

He chose an empty nest and curled up, aware that Gingerstorm had chosen the one farthest from him. Th last thing he noticed before sinking into unconsciousness was Oakheart, a new warrior, leaving the den, presumably on dawn patrol.

_Flameleap opened his eyes to find himself belly deep in snow, and bits of ice stung his pelt as they fell from the sky. He could see his own breath, and his paws had gone numb._

"Where am I?"_, he wondered out loud, confused when he could barely hear his voice. It sounded faint and drowned out._

"Hello?" _he called, his voice sounding the same as before. _"Hello!"_ The Only response he received was horrible shrieks of terror. He felt panic rising in his chest._

_He ran across the icy snow, slipping on its cold wetness, looking, searching desperately for the source of the wailing, but all he saw was the white haze of frozen water as it dropped from the gray clouds overhead._

He woke up with a start, panting, until he realized he had been dreaming.

An icy drop of water ran down his spine and he shivered, only partly because of the sudden coldness.

He walked out of the den, into the rain. He was surprised and disappointed to see that water on the ground was frozen. Hunting would be hard today, even for him.

As he padded to the frozen fresh kill pile, he noticed Pearpaw looking at him with huge, moony eyes. He has always liked her, and they had been close as apprentices. He waved his tail at her, pleased when she smiled back.

He chose a miserable shrew from the icy heap, telling himself he would go hunting later. As he gulped down the cold meat, he caught sight of Thistleheart signaling him over. He strode over to the deputy, not bothering to dip his head in respect.

"You're going hunting with Oakheart, Fernstep, and Duskcloud."

"Good. The fresh kill pile looks pathetic, but I should be able to fix that." He lifted his chin.

"Arrogant furball! Just because you were made a warrior does _not_ make you better than us. We're warriors too, and we're more experienced than you." Fernstep was the one who spoke.

"What, it's true! Rosestar said it herself. I'm a good hunter, probably the best in the Clan. You're all just jealous." He turned and walked out the fern tunnel, chin and tail higher than a hawk flies.

Oakheart sighed and Duskcloud exchanged a glance with Fernstep. He just wouldn't get it.

Foxtail left his den, intent on collecting herbs. Leaf-bare was almost here, and he was running low on just about everything. He stopped when he realized everything was frozen. It was no use.

He heard Flameleap bragging to the apprentices. Pearpaw was listening intently while Snowpaw and Snakepaw rolled their eyes.

"Did you see the rabbit I caught? It was as big as Nettleclaw!" he boasted.

Nettleclaw was the biggest cat in the Clan, and Foxtail seriously doubted the rabbit had been anywhere close to that size. Pearpaw, however, seemed impressed.

"Wow. That's huge. You are _such_ a great hunter." She said in awe.

Foxtail briefly wondered what the apprentice saw in the stuck up warrior, until he was cut off by a strange voice. Barely more than a whisper, he strained to hear it.

_They are opposites, the storm and the savior, in all but possibilities. Both are able to leave a path of destruction in their wake, but only one willing to throw it all away. Only once this is realized can the Clans be saved. And only then can the bonds be rewritten._

Foxtail was disturbed by the prophecy, and immediately went to tell Rosestar.

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-Many Moons Later-

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"Why is ice falling from the sky?" Oakheart yowled in terror.

"The kits! My kits!" Cried Fernstep from the nursery. She had recently given birth to Sunkit, Eaglekit and Goldkit. Duskcloud was in there as well, cowering over her litter of Briarkit and Leafkit. All five kits were only a few days old.

Foxtail ran around the camp with his new apprentice Fawnpaw, trying to calm everyone down and checking for any injuries the falling pellets had caused.

Pieces of ice were raining around the clearing, striking the cats who stood there. Snow was on the ground, covered in a sheet of ice, making running hard, if not impossible. In the few places not frozen over, the snow was too thick to stand in, let alone walk through. Hunting had been hard for the past few days, and even Flameleap couldn't bring back much. The ground where the fresh kill pile had once been was barren.

There was a great ice storm, unlike any the Clans had seen before. The queens hadn't eaten for a long time, the elders were starving, and some of the warriors couldn't remember the taste of meat. No cat had died yet, but at this rate, for how long?

All Flameleap could think of was the dream he had had four seasons ago. He watched in horror as everything he had experienced while sleeping was taking place in the waking world.

He looked around the camp. There was a wall of rocks on the far side of the clearing, now nearly twice its normal height due to the snow. As Flameleap's gaze drifted past it, he noticed it start to move. With all the commotion going on, it shook harder, as if it were to fall. Flameleap's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

"Everyone! Get out of camp now!" He shouted urgently above the noise. Yellow, blue, and green eyes looked at him, blankly. "Don't just stand there; MOVE!" Now the piled snow looked ready to fall and burry the huddled shapes under its suffocating whiteness.

Cats of every description began running, panicked, out of the clearing, pushing there way out of the fern tunnel. Warriors helped the elders and kits in their desperate attempt to flee the now falling avalanche. Flameleap stayed to make sure everyone else was out before bolting toward the broken tunnel.

"Help!" How he heard the cry overtop of the deafening roar of the snow, he didn't know, but it came from behind him. He turned.

"NO!" He had looked just in time to see his brother disappear under the snow and ice that was now rushing toward him. "I'm coming Gingerstorm!" He shouted, even though he knew his brother couldn't hear him.

He ran, thankful for his above-average speed, toward the spot Gingerstorm's head had gone under. All at once, the noise ceased, and the following silence was even more deafening to Flameleap as he searched for his only kin.

A flash of ginger caught his eye. He ran to it, hardly daring to hope, but it wasn't his brother. It was Sunkit. He scooped the whimpering kit onto his back, where she hung on for dear life.

Flameleap dug, searching once again for his brother. He found him, barely conscious, a few tail lengths away.

"Goodbye, Flameleap. I'll watch you from, Starclan." His eyes closed.

"No Gingerstorm. Hold on for a little longer. I'll get you to Foxtail. You'll be okay. Oh, Gingerstorm, you can't die on me. You're the only thing i have left. You're my brother. I still need you. I know I told you that I didn't, but i was wrong. I need you Gingerstorm. Gingerstorm, you've gotta wake up. Oh, Please wake up!" He was growing desperate as he tried dragging his brother's limp body, with the weight of a kit on his back.

"Foxtail! Rosestar! Thistleheart! Somebody I need help! Can anybody here me? Please! I cant let them die!"

Suddenly Foxtail burst into the clearing, followed by Fernstep, who was wailing for her missing kit. When she spotted the tiny bundle on Flameleap's back, she ran over and thanked him profusely, and took the kit off his back.

Foxtail helped Flameleap carry Gingerstorm to the hollow under a fallen tree's roots where the Clan was sheltering so he could look over him better.

"Is he okay? Will he survive? Is he going to die? He's going to die isn't he?" No one had ever seen Flameleap so upset, and he was getting stares from all the cats.

"He's unconscious, but he's strong. He might yet make it." Foxtail said, although he didn't sound hopeful.

Flameleap didn't sleep well that night.

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-End Flashback-

"Flameleap received a hero's welcome, and you know that Gingerstorm survived. I'm pleased to say that no one has ever heard your father boast from that day forward. It seems he learned that there are more important things than being the best at everything."

"So Flameleap really did save us all!" The kits' eyes were shining in awe.

"He did. It's getting late. You should go back to your mother." Sageclaw dismissed them.

"Can you tell us another story sometime?" Echokit pleaded.

"I'd be happy to." The elderly tom purred as the kits scampered over to Pearsong, who was sitting with Flameleap.

"Flameleap! You're a hero!" Bluekit meowed excitedly.

Flameleap glanced at the elder's den. "I was just doing my part as a warrior." He said meekly.

"Can you tell us what it's like to be a warrior?" Poppykit asked her father.

"Tomorrow. Right now you three need sleep."

"We'll be oka-" Echokit's protest was cut off by a yawn. "Fine." She and her siblings curled up next to their mother and were soon walking the path their dreams took them.


End file.
